Pages

Black-Eyed Peas in a Yogurt Curry

Black-eyed peas are traditionally served on New Year's Day in the American southeast and around the world as they are thought to bring prosperity. Because they swell with cooking, the peas are considered to represent growing prosperity in the New Year and are sometimes believed to represent coins as well. Frequently the peas are served with cooked greens, which symbolize money, and cornbread — representing gold — is also a feature of the New Year's Day table. This earthy legume is a favorite at any time of year for me, but how could I resist the promise of good luck? This black-eyed pea curry simmered in a tangy spiced yogurt sauce has a wonderful aroma and an incredible flavor — it's a good start to any year!

Rinse the black-eyed peas and soak for 6 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with 3 cups of fresh water. Add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and partially cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes or until the peas are soft, adding more water if necessary

While the peas are cooking, prepare the yogurt curry sauce. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, toss in fenugreek leaves, ground coriander, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, ground cumin, turmeric, cayenne and asafetida. Stir for 1 minute, then add the onion. green chilies, ginger and garlic, and continue to stir for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions have softened. Whisk together the yogurt and gradually add to the pan, stirring constantly.

Transfer the yogurt curry sauce to the cooked black-eyed peas. Add the green cardamom seeds and most of the parsley, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Discard the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick, season with salt, and sprinkle with garam masala. Serve hot or warm garnished with the remaining parsley or cilantro.

Although it does not have the symbolic references for us Greeks, black eyed peas is one of my favourite dried legumes and love it any way it is cooked. In Greece we have pomegranate to symbolize prosperity, abundance but also it is symbolic to eternal life (you will see my recipe for kollyva in the cookbook).

I recently cooked black-eyed peas for the first time and really liked them. I am trying to imagine the flavor of your curry, but I think that my imagination should be helped by some actual tasting ;) Thank you so much for your contribution to MLLA.

Based in London, Ontario, a veteran vegetarian for 22 years serves up a collection of delicious culinary creations from her kitchen, with an emphasis on spicy Indian dishes and whole foods. If you want to know what sensible vegetarians eat, Lisa's Kitchen is the place to be.